Yarn treating method



E. J. HEIZER YARN TREATING METHOD Feb. 3, 19,53

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. ll, 1948 Feb. 3, 1953 E. J. HElzr-:R2,627,480

YARN TREATING METHOD Filed Sept. 1l, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 3, 1953E. J. HEIZER YARN TREATING METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 11, 1948IN V EN TOR.

Patented Feb. 3, 1953 YARN TREATING METHOD Edward J. Heizer, WestCaldwell, N. J., assignor to Specialties Development Corporation,Belleville, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 11,1948, Serial No. 48,855

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to treating yarn or the like, and moreparticularly to an improved method of treating yarn to increase thetensile strength and decrease the stretch thereof wherein the yarn isimpregnated with a treating solution, is stretched and is then dried.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a methodof subjecting the yarn to operations which promote more completeimpregnation of the yarn.

Another object is to provide such a method wherein the rate ofimpregnation is increased thereby enabling the yarn to be processed morerapidly.

Another object is to provide such a method wherein the fibers areloosened in the presence of a surplus amount of impregnant in a mannerto enable entrapped air to diffuse outwards and the impregnant to passinto the yarn.

A further object is to provide a relatively simple, practical andeconomical method for accomplishing the foregoing.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

In accordance with the invention, these objects are accomplished byrolling the yarn axially while being advanced to alternately partiallyuntwist and retwist the yarn to promote penetration of the impregna-nt,certain features of this treatment being that the yarn is first advancedthrough a bath of impregnant preferably containing a bonding agent, asurplus of impregnant is supplied while the yarn is subjected to therolling action, the yarn is engaged and alternately pinched at spacedapart points between which points impregnant is supplied and theuntwisting and retwisting action at the points may be synchronized withthe lengthwise speed of the yarn. After the yarn has been impregnated,it preferably is stretched to effect elongation thereof and is driedwhile stretched to allow the bonding agent to harden and permanently setthe fibers of the yarn in the manner they have been arranged by theforegoing treatment and thereby effect increase in tensile strength anddecrease in stretch of the yarn.

The impregnant, for example, is of the type disclosed in United StatesPatent No. 2,220,958, and comprises a liquid containing a resinousbonding agent.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawings,forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View, partly in section, illustrating apparatus whichmay be utilized to practice the impregnating steps of the method inaccordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken along the line 2-2 on Figure 1. j

Figure 3 is an end View, `partly in section and partly in elevation.

Figure 4 is a schematic view, illustrating the action of the apparatusduring impregnation of the yarn.

Figure 5 is a schematic View of apparatus, diagrammatically illustratinga method of treating yarn wherein the impregnating steps are utilized.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there is shown in Figure 5 thereofapparatus for performing the method in accordance with the presentinvention which will serve to illustrate the method in which the yarn istreated. One or more strands of yarn Y are pulled or delivered from asource of supply (not shown) and are passed through a bath of impregnantin a receptacle i6 around a power driven roll I4 and between a pair ofendwise reciprocated idler rolls I5 in rolling contact with the roll I4for effecting working and impregnation of the yarn as describedhereinafter.

The impregnated yarn is passed through a pair of power driven squeezerolls I which are operated at a slightly lower surface speed than theroll I4 to enable the impregnated yarn to relax and absorb theimpregnant applied thereto. The yarn is then passed through a :pair ofpower driven pull rolls 2 which are operated at a sufciently highersurface speed than the rolls I to stretch the yarn, tension the same toalmost its breaking point, and thereby effect elongation thereof.

The tensioned yarn is next passed through a drying chamber, such as anoven 4 or the like, wherein the liquid in the impregnant is removed byevaporation to enable the bonding agent to be caused or allowed toharden to permanently set the individual fibers of which the yarn iscomposed.

The yarn is advanced through' and removed from the oven by a second pairof full rolls 5 operated at a surface speed suiiiciently higher thanthat of the rolls 2 to maintain the yarn in stretched condition whilepassing through the oven and take up any stretch of the yarn occa--sioned by the drying thereof to thereby retain the yarn in its elongatedcondition.

Thereafter, the yarn is delivered to a Winder 6 for packaging the same.

By reason of the impregnating step employed herein as about to bedescribed, the fibers of the yarn areV setV in suchl amanner by theoperations subsequent to impregnation that the tensile strength andstretch characteristics of the yarn are greatly improved.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 3, there is shown apparatusfor accomplishing the impregnation and working of the yarn whichcomprises a base IG and a pair of upright side frames II on the base forrotatably mounting a drive shaft I2 adapted to be driven by a suitablesource of power (not shown). The roll is is keyed on the shaft I2 forrotation therewith, and the idler rolls I5, which have a soft coveringI3 thereon, are supported above the roll Iii in rolling contacttherewith by means about to be described and in a manner whereby yarn Yis adapted to be fed between the roll I4 and the rolls I5 as shown inFigure 2. The receptacle IE5, which contains impregnant, is supported bythe side frame Ii ina positionl whereby the underside of the roll I4 isadapted to pass the yarn through the impregnant before the yarn passesbetween the rolls (Figure 5).

Each of the rolls I5 is supported by a shaft I'I andk each shaft has itsrespective ends supported by means of a spherical bearing I9 on levers20 and 2l, respectively, constructed and arranged tosupport the shaftsi'i in parallel relation with respect to each other and to the driveshaft I2. The levers 2i! and ZI each are pivotally mounted foroscillation on the side frames by a pin 22 or the like extendingtherethrough (Figures 1 and 3).

The lever 2i). has an extension arm 2Q (Figure 1) suitably connected toone end of a rocker arm r lever 25 pivotally mounted on the frame I I at26 which hasa cam follower 27 at its other end positioned in the groove29 of a rotatable cam drum 39 on a shaft 3l mounted parallel to thedrive, shaft I2 between one of the side frames I i and an uprightbearing support 32 (Figure 3). Rotation of the cam drum is effected by agear 3d on the drive shaft meshing with a gear 35 on the cam shaft 3|.The cam drum effects rocking of the arm 25 which in turn oscillates thelever 29 and the lever ZI through the shafts II, whereby the rolls I aremoved back and forth endwise inV anV arcuate path.

InY operation,V as the rolls I5 move endwise in an arcuatepath, theyincrease and decrease the pressure thereof on the roll Ia at the nips(Figure. 4). At the end of the stroke, with the least endwise motion,the nips are the tightest, while at mid-stroke, with rapid endwisemotion, the nipsare the lo-osest. The yarn is fed between the nips in alengthwise direction and is rotated or rolled in one direction whenpinched at one of the nips due to increased pressure and is rotated orrolled. in thev other direction when pinched at the other of the nips.This tends to equalize the action. on the yarn to give substantiallyuniform penetration of the impregnants throughout the length of theyarn.

While the arcuate motion is highly advantageous, equally successfulresults may be attained by reciprocating the pair of rolls I5 endwise ina straight line. motion at a high frequency. By moving the, rolls I5back. and forth endwise ata 4 relatively rapid rate with respect to thelengthwise movement of the yarn, the yarn is alternately twisted anduntwisted repeatedly as it is fed through the rolls.

Twisting of the yarn makes it more compact, while untwisting loosens thefibers, so that the above action causes the yarn to breathe Thisbreathing action causes the entrapped air to be diffused outwards andthe impregnant carried from the receptacle I 6 b-y the roll I4 topenetrate into the loosened fibers. Impregnation further is improved byenabling a surplus of impregnant to be carried between the nips whenloose and be supported on the upper surface of the roll I4 at 4B (Figure2) between the pair of rolls I5. The surplus of irnpregnant provides formaximum absorption thereof by the yarn. Due to the efficientimpregnation of the yarn, the yarn can be fedl through the machine atrelatively high speed.

The frequency of the endwise motion may be synchronized with the speedof the yarn in a lengthwise direction, whereby a point in the yarnuntwisted between one of the nips will be twisted at the other nip, andvice versa.

In view of the foregoing description, it will be seen that the presentinvention provides an improved method of impregnating yarn more rapidlyand effectively in a simple and practical manner.

As various changes may be made, without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, itis to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted asillustrative `and not in any limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

This application is a continuation-impart of my application Serial No.31,903, filed June 9, 1948, which has been abandoned and was a divisionof my co-pending application Serial No. 755,165, filed June 17, 1947,now United States Patent No. 2,476,298, dated July 19, 1949.

I claim:

1. The method of treating strands of yarn in twisted condition whichcomprises engagingy the yarn `at spaced apart points while moving theyarn in a lengthwise axial direction, supplying a surplus of liquidimpregnant to the yarn between the points of engagement, periodicallypinching the yarn at the points of engagement, and rolling the sectionof the yarn held between the points of engagement back and forthtransversely to the axis of movement thereof to enable the impregnant tomore completely penetrate the yarn.

2. The method of treating strands of yarn in twisted condition whichcomprises engaging the yarn at spaced apart points while moving the yarnin a lengthwise axial direction, supplying liquid impregnant to the yarnbetween the points of engagement, and periodically pinching the yarn atthe points of engagement and rolling the yarn back and forthtransversely t0 the axis of movement thereof to eiect alternateuntwisting and twisting the yarn at one point of engagement whilesimultaneousiy alternately twisting .and untwisting the yarn at theother point of engagement and applying rolling movement to the sectionof the yarn between the points ofk engagement whereby the fibers of theyarn, are

loosened to enable the impregnant to more completely penetrate the yarn.

3. The method of treating strands of yarn in twisted condition whichcomprises engaging the yarn at spaced apart points while moving the yarnat a predetermined speed in a lengthwise axial direction, supplyingliquid impregnant to the yarn between the points of engagement, andperiodically pinching the yarn at the points of engagement and rollingthe yarn back and forth transversely to the axis of movement thereof toeffect alternate untwisting and twisting the yarn at one point ofengagement while simultaneously alternately twisting and untwisting theyarn at the other point of engagement and applying rolling movement tothe section of the yarn between the points of engagement whereby thefibers of the yarn are loosened to enable the impregnant to morecompletely penetrate the yarn, the frequency of the twisting anduntwisting action being synchronized with the speed of the yarn in alengthwise direction whereby a point in the yarn untwisted at one of thepoints of engagement will be twisted at the other point of engagement.

4. The method of treating strands of yarn in twisted condition -whichcomprises advancing the yarn in a lengthwise axial direction through abath of liquid impregnant, engaging and periodically pinching the yarnat a pair of spaced apart points while advancing the yarn, rolling thesection of the yarn held between the pinched points back and forthtransversely to the axis of movement thereof to alternately partiallyuntwist and retwist the yarn to promote penetration of the impregnantinto the yarn, and supplying a surplus of impregnant to the yarn betweenthe points of engagement.

5. The method of treating strands of yarn in twisted condition toincrease the tensile strength and decrease the stretch thereofcomprising advancing the yarn in a lengthwise axial direction through abath of liquid impregnant containing a bonding agent, engaging theadvancing yarn at a pair of spaced apart points and periodicallypinching the yarn at the points of engagement,

rolling the section of the yarn held between pinched points back andforth transversely to the axis of movement thereof to alternatelyuntwist and retwist the yarn to promote penetration of the impregnantinto the yarn, supplyingv a surplus of impregnant between the points ofengagement, stretching the impregnated yarn to elongate the same, :anddrying the yarn while stretched to allow the bonding agent to harden andpermanently set the fibers of the yarn.

6. The method of treating yarn which comprises ladvancing the yarn in alengthwise axial direction through a bath of liquid impregnant, engagingthe yarn at spaced apart points and rolling the section of the yarn heldbetween points of engagement back and forth transversely to the axis ofmovement thereof to alternately parti-ally untwist and retwist the yarn,and supporting the yarn between the points of engagement while supplyingliquid impregnant to the yarn from the bath.

EDWARD J. HEIZER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 606,869 Macbrair July 5, 18981,197,396 Price Sept. 5, 1916 1,492,316 Wardwell Apr. 29, 1924 1,745,285Whiffen Jan. 28, 1930 1,877,488 Allen Sept. 13, 1932 2,040,105 RitzertMay 12, 1936 2,055,776 ySaladino Sept. 29, 1936 2,162,551 Hawley, Jr.June 13, 1939 2,220,958 Jennings Nov. 12, 1940 2,381,398 Bosomworth Aug.7, 1945 2,398,516 Burgeni et al. Apr.. 16, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 531,910 Germany Aug. 6, 1931 505,229 Great Britain May 8,1939

5. THE METHOD OF TREATING STRANDS OF YARN IN TWISTED CONDITION TOINCREASE THE TENSILE STRENGTH AND DECREASE THE STRETCH THEREOFCOMPRISING ADVANCING THE YARN IN A LENGTHWISE AXIAL DIRECTION THROUGH ABATH OF LIQUID IMPREGNANT CONTAINING A BONDING AGENT, ENGAGING THEADVANCING YARN AT A PAIR OF SPACED APART POINTS AND PERIODICALLYPINCHING THE YARN AT THE POINTS OF ENGAGEMENT, ROLLING THE SECTION OFTHE YARN HELD BETWEEN PINCHED POINTS BACK AND FORTH TRANSVERSELY TO THEAXIS OF MOVEMENT THEREOF TO ALTERNATELY UNTWIST AND RETWIST THE YARN TOPROMOTE PENETRATION OF THE IMPREGNANT INTO THE YARN, SUPPLYING A SURPLUSOF IMPREGNANT BETWEEN THE POINTS OF ENGAGEMENT, STRETCHING THEIMPREGNATED YARN TO ELONGATE THE SAME, AND DRYING THE YARN WHILESTRETCHED TO ALLOW THE BONDING AGENT TO HARDEN AND PERMANENTLY SET THEFIBERS OF THE YARN.